Part I: Introduction

February 1st

Wilson arranged most of his forces on Mernat Island but left a detachment of 20 men on the smaller island to prevent the enemy from occupying it. The Nile had fallen so low there was a steep bank, 25 to 30 feet high, protecting the perimeter of Mernat Island. The force built a zeriba of mimosa thorn bush, and within this, a shallow trench. Outside the defences they cleared the grass as a protection against fire.

At night, pickets were posted fifty yards in front of the zeriba, (they would not go further), plus a line of sentries within. Wilson calculated he could depend on the loyalty of just over half his men, plus the Sussex detachment.

February 2nd

During the day, some local messengers tried to encourage desertions, and one officer, Abd ul Hamid did slip away with a group of the men. That night, the pickets refused to leave the zeriba at all, so the line of sentries within was strengthened. The British officers decided to march to safety down the right bank of the river if no help arrived.

February 3rd

Gunfire heralded the arrival of a gunboat, which engaged the enemy fort three miles downstream. Gascoigne raised flags on the grounded Bordein to show their position to the relief force. This drew fire from the enemy on the left bank of the river, and Wilson’s force replied with Remington rifle fire and shells from their four guns. Wilson noted that the act of firing tended to raise the morale of native troops.

Wilson and his officers could indistinctly see the battle. He decided to break up the zeribah immediately, and march down the right bank of the river to link up with the relief force. This order caused wild and confused scenes as the native troops sought to save themselves and their possessions aboard the remaining nuggar. The enemy began a sharp fire into the zeriba and several men were hit.

Guns and stores were taken aboard the nuggar, and the men crossed from the end of Mernat Island to the right bank using the one remaining small boat. The crossing was a slow process, but well covered and planned. The force then marched the three miles to the battle, and the few enemy horsemen encountered were scattered by a protecting screen of skirmishers.

They were able to signal the gunboat, the El Safia. It had suffered a damaged boiler and was anchored while still engaging the enemy fort. El safia signalled it would be able to make repairs during the afternoon and evening and would pick up Wilson’s force the next day. He ordered one gun brought from the nuggar and had it engage the enemy fort. The native riflemen and the Sussex men also engaged the enemy embrasures at 1100 yards. Gascoine volunteered to go over to the steamer in a small boat, and took two naval artificers and some native crewmen. Despite a hot fire, he returned with news from Beresford who commanded the gunboat. Repairs would be complete by sunset, and Beresford requested continuing fire support to take attention away from his stranded vessel. Wilson had only sufficient ammunition for the one gun, and some of that was wet, but the crew used it to good effect. The enemy replied with badly aimed solid shot.

Wilson’s nuggar also ran aground and the enemy began firing on it. He sent most of the force on to find a place where they could be picked up, and to build a zeriba there. He remained behind with the gun and thirty men to draw fire away from the nuggar. It refloated just before sunset, and Wilson rejoined the main force, after spiking and abandoning the gun. During the night the nuggar ran aground again, right in from of the centre embrasure of the enemy battery.

Stewart's Dash to Khartoum The Final Attempt to Relieve General Gordon Part II

January 28
January 29
January 30-31
February 1-3
February 4 and Bibliography
Orders of Battle
Gaming the Action
Models, Terrain, and Tactics

Part I

Stewart's Dash to Khartoum The Final Attempt to Relieve General Gordon

Introduction
January 24
January 25
January 26
January 27